The NotePal U Stand comes cleanly and efficiently packaged in Coolermaster's typical white/purple coloring. There are a multitude of pictures illustrating the main features and multilingual specs on the box.

The primary stand also comes with two positionable cooling fans, a user manual, and a USB cord for powering the fans and also connecting the USB hub.

The surface of the cooler is an airy, brushed aluminum plate with a very nice appearance. On the top picture, we tried to bounce a flash off of the surface so that you can see the fine "hairline" brushed aluminum surface (click to view larger). The surface is made of a rather thick piece of aluminum, and is thus very sturdy. The large aluminum surface will also help distribute the heat given off by your laptop over a larger surface area, which will promote more rapid cooling. The bottom of the stand has "deployable" anti-slip holders to keep your notebook firmly in place.

The side profile shows that the U Stand has a slightly tilted surface, which proves to be more ergonomic than flat, as your palms relive pressure on the wrists when typing. It's relatively thin despite the tilt, and the right side houses the USB ports, the USB power port, a DC power port, a power LED, and the power switch itself.

The bottom is rather skeletal, which adds to the ventilation, and also decreases weight and thickness, which are obviously both important if you want to travel with the U Stand. The aluminum top plate makes it fairly heavy, but at the same time, you can be assured it will make it through even the most perilous travels unscathed. There are also five tilt settings, so you can set it to the perfect tilt, depending upon where you're using it or how your computer fits on the stand. The metal support bar snaps neatly into the stand when you want it all the way down. The platic support plate is also well-built and is very sturdy.

The two fans have a rather thin, "S-blade" geometry. The "S" shaped blades are much quieter than traditional blades at similar airflow ratings because that particular shape helps reduce turbulence, specifically vortices, from emanating off of the blades, which is one of the largest noise contributors. The back side of the fan casing has built in cable routing "ties," for easy and clean cable management. You'll also notice a very nice, clean sleeving on the cables, which looks great and makes keeping them out of the way easier.

One of the best things about the U Stand aside from its awesome upper aluminum plate, is the overall ability to customize it to your needs. With adjustable tilt and anti-slip tabs, you can also place the upper anti-slip spacing rubber wherever you want, they simply press right into the holes. the same goes with the fans, they can be positioned wherever, targeting "hot spots" on your laptop, and to remove them, simply push the large button and they come off cleanly. The ability to custom-tailor the cooler to your specific needs is a great way for Coolermaster to differentiate the U Stand from the rest of the pack, and it is completely useful and functional as well.

The fans are whisper quiet and bless the bottom of that hot laptop with a continuous breeze of fresh air. Over the sound of the notebook fan itself, the fans are hardly audible.